Triphosphorus disulfide: The elusive P3S radical generated and identified by neutralization/reionization mass spectrometry

Abstract The dissociative ionization by electron impact (70 eV) of terraphosphorus trisulfide, P 4 S 3 , yields P 3 S ions whose neutralization/reionization mass spectrum shows that the elusive P 3 S radical is a viable species in the rarefied gas phase. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations indicate that the structure of this radical is that of a planar five‐membered PPSPS ring of C 2v symmetry.